Electrical gate-operating means for railroads.



. E. SALISBURY. ELECTRICAL GATE OPERATING MEANS FOR RAILROADS.

- APPLICATION FILED BBQ-13, 1913. ,101,715. Patented June 30,1914.

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I v E. SALISBURY.- ELECTRICAL GATE OPERATING MEANS FOR RAILROADS.

Patented June30, 1914,

, APPLICATION FILED DEC.13,'1913. 11,101,715.

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E. SALISBURY. ELECTRICAL GATE OPERATING MEANS FOR RAILROADS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.13, 1913.

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ed in series and arranged in said circuit toj retaln the gategarms 1n their lowered pos1- .ings, in which- I Figure 1 is a top plan View SllOWlIlg my ionrrn srA 'nsa NT orrron ERNEST SALiSBUBY, or nsrmv, .COLURADO, Assrenoie or onninarrj ro me n- I nunraor asrnn, cctoaeno. 1

ELECTRICAL GATE-OPERATING eans For, RAILROADS.

' Application filed December 13,1913. Serial o. 806,537.

. Specification of Letters lEatent.

Patented June 30, 1 914.:

To alt whom may concern} Be it'known that I, Emvnsr 'SAmsBURY, ac'itizen .of the United States, residing at Aspen, in the county of' Pitkin and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Gate- Operating Means for Railroads, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improved'railway gateoperatmg mechanism and has for its primary object to produce a simple, effi cient and inexpensive apparatus for the above purposefwhich is operated by the clos-v ing of an electric circuit. when the train reaches a predetermined distance from the crossing whereby the gate arms are disposed.

in horlzontal posltlon across the road or street.

-. My invention has for a further and more.

specific object to provide a; motor operated means for the gate arms, a circuit for the- -motor, means arranged ,in the track and engaged by a contact member carried byzthe train whereby the circuit is closed, electromagnets for each of the gate-arms connecttion, referencefis to be had to the following description and accompanying draw-- improved operating mechanism for the crossing? Fig. 2 is van elevation of said mechanismyFig. 3 is ansection 'taken" on the" line 3'3fof Fig. '1;' Fig. 4: is a section taken on the lined-40f Fig. 2;' Fig. 5 is a diagrammaticview, illustrating'the operating circuit;

Referring 1n endsin suitable-bearings 6 arranged, in a housing Ior'casing 7 which'ismounted upon a suitable foundation beneath thei'ailroad track indicatedat 8. Uponeachfehd of this shaft a sprocket 9 is securedgfin bearings 10 arranged within the casing or: housing 7,

the shafts. 11 are mounted. Each of these 4 shafts has a sprocket 12 fixed uponrone ,end

whicli" is driven by a chain :12 from the,

sproc (et 9 on the shaft 5. Upon each'shaft 11 between its supporting bearings 10, a.

gate arm 13 is secured by means of a suit-.

able set screw 14.

15 designates. an electric vide'd with a-pinion 16 engaging one of the chains 12. v

the gate arms 13 upon suitable. supports 19 and are adapted to retainthe gate arms in no b 'j ny preferred type-the shaft of which is .pro-

their lowered position by magnetic-attraction. These magnets are connected in series by means of the wire 20-and are included in the operating circuit as will be later, de@ .scribed.

Upon the upper end of a suitable post or standard 21, an electric bell 22is arranged,

and'an electric light bulb 23 is also mount ed upon this pole so that a visual as'wellas the audible signal may be given.

Between the rails of the track8 a third rail 24 is arranged. This rail includes con1 paratively-short end sections 25 which'a're' spaced from the opposed ends of the longer intermediate sectionthereby providing gaps 26. The locomotive indicated at 27*isprovided with a conta'ctj'roller 28 which is I adapted to engage with. the third rail sections, ,said\ roller being mounted in the metal frame of the engine or otherwise mounted so as to actjas an electrical con-1.

ductorto the drive wheels.

c The operating circuit is diagra1nmati-- cally illustrated in- Fig. 5 of the drawings 'and' includes a battery, generator. or other suitable source of electric current indicated at 29 and to one terminal of said battery,'a

wire 30 is connected, the other end of this wire beingconnected to. one of the track rails 8. Aw-ire-31 leads from the other terininal of the'battery 29 to one side'of the motor 15. In this circuit wire 31, a switch is arranged, said switch including a mqv:

able blade or knife 32 and a stationary con-.;

tact member 33. The knife blade is nor: mally disposed by gravity inengagement with the stationary contact member so as to close the circuit through the -wire"31;-A wire-34 is'connected to the other sideof the switch "It the motor and to'the intermediate section of the third' rail 24. This wire is also connected by the wire 35 to one set of magnets 18 while the other set of magnets is connects by the wire 36 to'the wire 31. The end sections 25 of the. third rail'areconnected by a conducting wire 31, d a wire 38 is joined to the wire 37 and r the. other wire 39 {from the lamp being joined to the wire 31. The wires 40 and 41 from the battery of the bell- 22 are joined to the wires 38 and 39 respectively. a

Itwill be noted that the gate arms 13 are mounted upon -the shafts 11 adjacent one of their ends, and said ends are enlarged or weighted as indicated at 42, so thatthe.

longer portions ofzthe arms extending upon one sideof the shaft'are'normsll heldby gravity in an elevated position. t isfiurther to 'be-noted that the movable knife or blade 32 ofthe switche'xtendsoverjthe wei htedend of one of the j tearms. :il-faving above describxif- 'a construction arrangement of theseveralgparts of the m therefor, p n ieent t ai me fl W ll t I derstpod renews circuit "con- "ming that theinis movin in the drawingafwhenthe-wh or'ro er-28:

by 'the.looomotive=- likes the an ,s'ection25 ofthe-third rail, the circuitwill beclosed from' the bum-yes, through wire and the track rail, through the frame of the locomotive an through rail section. and w re-37, tothe lamp g fl ba1l xthrough-' the wires 38 and 89, 40' ii 'djfl' then through wire 81 to wh h 1 $9 5" ib n i c t0 Battery. it? that the bell is run fandthe lamp-lighted while the con-.'

ta t .w "1 tthe' omo v is d p ed in the endi 's'ections of the third rail.

this andjlb cll is broken: and the wheel. then engagesupon the mam central section of he tlnrdrail; A circuit is now closed fromLtlie-battery through wire 31 and hifough the 'motor 15, then through wire 34 10 the third rail, through contact wheeI '2 8T and the drive wheel of the locomotive" and one of the track rails tam-gs the-mite iidandrthence backJso'ethe battery 29. Thus the motor will be operated and the gate arms lowered across the road crossing "indic'ated .at C. Simultaneousl "th the closing of, the motor, c1r-' ch t, t m 8+srefssersis d y the b'mectionc i im lstfi y "135' andjad 'to'ithel'wiresfil;and 31 're-..

s a ti y- .ls id s e hems v s- 1 1 m me" b 'nds to the-lamp 23,-

, and. the .jcircuit"'i. connections from either directiom d. the, roller 28, 'then rail moves3intothe gap 26, the

.tromagnets for eachof'said' arms 1' 'magr ets act by magnetic attraction to hold the' gate arms in their qwered positions after one of said arms "as; enga ed the movable blade or knife 32 of the switch and moved the same from engage with the contact plate 33 which brea e motor circuit, so that the operation of the motor is discontinued. When the train has moved to the opposite side of the grade crossing and the contactowh'eel 28 moves 0!! of the intermediate section .of'the third 24,

the circuit for the electromagnetsis also broken and ithe gate arms then'returnto their norma system, where the trains would only move 'in one-direction upon each track, one of theend sections 125 o dispensed with, and the wire 37 connected the third rail would be directly to the lamp.

From' the foregoing description taken .in iconnection with the accompanying drawi'ings, it is thought that the construction and 1 operation of my invention will be clearlyand fully understood. The apparatus is'entirely automatic in its operation and requires ino care or attention upon the part of the traincrew and obviates. the necessity of em- \ploym'g an attendant'to be stationed at the .road crossin Themechanisrn as a whole 7 .is :alsoisim e inits construction 'andmay direction indicetedby-thearrow ini 5 of. the install condition for use "at very "and without necessitating any alterations v in; the i ordinary track construcpositlons by gravity. 'It'is of course understood that in a double track struction and-arrangements of the several 7 parts of my'invention, it will be understood that the invention is susceptible ,of considerable modification therein-and I therefore reserve the right to resort to all such 1' timate changes as may be fairly em as claimed. I y g Y Having thus described the invention, what is claimedis: i

1'. In an apparatus scribed, movable gate arms arranged upon lot "withirif'the spirit and scope of the invention,

of the character de- I op osite sides of a railroad track, said arms' being normally held in their elevated positions by gravity, electrical operating means for said arms including a motor an circuit therefor, a switch arranged said circuit having a movable element normally held by gravity in its closed position, said element being adapt didbe. enga-ged by one of the gate arms in its movement to its closed pour tion to-p'pen the circuit and sto the motor a third rail arranged betweent e track rails and also included inthe motor clrcul else ing directly therewith when;

v their lowered to firearms: in' suohpositiohsifter -thepp c rcu t WhileI have described 'the'preferred con .tions between said magnets andthe operat- .forsaid arms, a circuit therefor, a switch arranged in said circuit including a movable element adapted to be engaged by one of'the gate arms and moved to its open position, a third rail arranged between the track rails,-

a circuit wire connecting said rail to the operating means, electromagnets for each of said arms to hold the same in their lowered positions after the switchhas been opened,

and direct electrical connections between said magnets and the operating'circuit.

3. In an apparatus of the character dc-J scribed, movable gate arms arranged upon opposite sides of a railroad track, said arms being normally held by gravity in their-elevated positions, electrical operating means for said arms, a circuit therefor, said circuit including a source of current-supply, a cir euit' ire extending from the sup l s me,

to the operating means, a switch interposed in said circuit wire including a movable ele- .ment disposed in the path of movement of oneend of the gate arm and moved thereby to its open position, a wire extending from the current supply source to one of the track 7 rails, a third rail arranged in the track, a. circuit ,wire connecting the third rail to the operating means, a set of electromagnets for each of the gatearms vto hold thesame'in their loweredpositions, said magnets being connected in series, said third rail being adapted for engagement by circuit closing means carried by the locomotive, and conducting wires connecting the respective sets of electromagnets to. the circuit wires leading to and from the operating means for.the gate arms.

Intestimony whereof I hereuntoaflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. ERNEST SALISBURY.

Witnesses:

M. CARLIsLE LYDDANE,

D. W. GALL. 

